Fires keep crews busy

March 2, 2013

GUILFORD LAKE - Less than 24 hours after firefighters battled blazes in Columbiana and Rogers Thursday evening, a home caught fire in Hanover Township.

Hanover Township fire Chief Frank Baker said it was difficult for firefighters to get to the two-story home at 6165 Camp Blvd. due to its location off the main road.

"It was rather hard to get to, up a small back street. We actually fought it from the main road," he said.

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Morning Journal/Patti SchaefferHanover Township firefighters were assisted by Winona and Lisbon firefighters in battling a house fire at 6165 Camp Blvd. at Guilford Lake on Friday afternoon. The house, owned by Jim Secclar, was engulfed, with flames shooting through the roof upon firefighters arrival. The three-story house that Secclar had been working on for more than two years was thought to be a total loss and was not insured. No injuries were reported.

The house was located about 75 yards up a steep slope, he added.

"We kind of made our own path, drug our hose up and started from there," he said.

Firefighters from the township's two stations, Guilford Lake and Hanoverton, were at the scene around 1 p.m. Friday. Mutual aid was requested from the Winona and Lisbon volunteer departments.

Baker said it took the 25 firefighters about three hours to put the fire out.

"It was well under way by the time we got there. It was through the roof," he said.

Owner Jim Secclar, who was home at the time and reported the fire, told Baker that he went outside after first smelling smoke and saw flames shooting out of the roof next to the exterior chimney.

The fire appeared to have started in the chimney at the second floor of the home, Baker said.

Secclar was not injured and no one else was inside.

Baker said that while the structure is still standing, the roof and most of the second story was heavily damaged. The first floor and basement sustained water damage.

Secclar had been in the process of remodeling and the materials- which included insulation, drywall and lumber- posed some difficulty for firefighters, Baker said.

"There was a lot of remodeling materials inside the home ... which caused some issues with getting it extinguished," he said.

The local firefighters were back at the station around 4 p.m.

In Rogers, a two-story farmhouse escaped major damage on Thursday after firefighters from the Negley department were able to keep it contained to a bedroom.

Negley Fire Chief Gary Banicki said there was minimal damage to the second-story bedroom inside the home at 8218 state Route 7.

Resident Don Hays Jr. reported the fire shortly before 9 p.m. and he and his wife and three children were able to get out of the home without injury, the chief said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Lisbon Fire Department was requested for mutual aid but the request was canceled shortly after, he added.

Meanwhile, the cause of a fire at Zarbana Industries on Esterly Drive in Columbiana Thursday evening is still under investigation. Fire Chief Rick Garrity could not be reached for comment Friday.